Chapter 9: Daimler-Benz
On October 25th, my parents and I started our tour of the Ottoman Empire in earnest. We first visited Haifa, present-day Israel. A few days later on the 29th we arrived in Jerusalem.
The city wasn't as spectacular as Constantinople, but it certainly had a different feel. The holy city of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism was very ummm... quaint. We toured the city and saw historical sites like the Western Wall, Temple Mount, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Dome of the Rock.
We stayed in Jerusalem for a total of two days, during that time I was reconnected with Theodor Herzl on both days. My parents seemed to be surprised that we knew each other, I explained that we ran into each other in Topkapi palace and had a meaningful conversation.
The tour of the empire continued with a visit to Bethlehem, then to Beirut via Jaffa. Our next stop was at Damascus, where we visited the Mausoleum of Saladin. Here my father gave a speech exclaiming at the welcome showed to him by residents throughout the tour. He also threw out praises to Saladin calling him a knight 'fearless and without reproach.' He continued with praise to the Sultan Abdul Hamid and calling himself the friend of all muslims.
After Damascus we wrapped up the tour with a final visit to Baalbek, present-day Lebanon, then back to Beirut. For my first foreign trip I convinced my parents to take a commemorative picture with me before leaving.
On November 12th we depart Beirut in our yacht on our way back home to Germany.
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After the excitement of the trip had cooled, I sigh at the fact that my father is a diplomatic hogu. First he openly meets and converses with the leading Zionist figure. Then in Damascus, in his speech he openly praises Saladin, the great Kurdish and Arab hero. I'm sure both events will only serve to further encourage their respective nationalist movements.
Alas there's not much I can do to change my father's personality. Maybe if I was isekai'd into a gender-bender I can do more, knowing my father's daughtercon personality. But on second thought I'm very attached to my 'little man,' so I should end such a silly imagination.
Time continues to flow and I continue my normal life. With grandpa Bismarck gone, my channel into German politics was also cut off. Although uncles Herbert and Wilhelm are working hard to try to return to central politics, they're broadening their connections as governors of their respective territories.
My studies are going well too, I've nearly mastered Spanish and French, meanwhile I can have a decent conversation now using Irish Gaelic.
My company in the meantime continues to grow. We've opened KFC all over the Rhineland, as Germany's premier industrial base the Rhineland is perfect for expansion, since it fits our target audience. JvG Games has also opened stores in all major German cities, as well as foreign branches in Paris, London, Vienna and Budapest.
With the profits from my company and the rest of my allowances, I decide on expanding my business portfolio with a takeover of both Benz & Cie and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG). In the future these two companies would merge into Daimler-Benz, then renamed into the famous Mercedes-Benz.
I then met with the three men who would one day leave their mark on the automotive industry. Gottlieb Daimler as the "the father of the motorcycle," Wilhelm Maybach the "King of Designers" and last but not least Karl Benz one day known as the "father of the car" or "father of the automobile industry."
"Hello, my name is Joachim von Preußen."
"Greetings your highness, this is Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler."
"Hello your highness, my name is Wilhelm Maybach."
"Greet your highness, this is Carl Friedrich Benz."
After they awkwardly introduce themselves, I shake each one's hands. We proceed to do small talk and as the conversation goes further their initial tense faces turn softer. After some time I finally get to the point.
"Now, I'm sure you all are curious as to why I met you all here. Especially since I only recently took over your respective companies."
"I decided to first meet the three of you since, in my opinion you gentlemen are the pioneers of the infant automobile industry."
At my praise, the three people gradually show a smile.
"Second, I'm here to share with you my plans going forward. Although I own your companies, I'm only an amateur when it comes to the technical aspects of this industry. I didn't want to lose such valuable talents by giving one-sided notifications."
"Now I'll get to the big stuff in earnest. As of today I'll be merging Benz & Cie with DMG, the company going forward will be known as Daimler-Benz."
"I'm not sure if you are familiar but I run my business not with profits in mind, so I'll also be implementing a new policy."
"From now on Daimler-Benz will operate with a 5-day, 40-hour workweek. I'll also be raising the wage of the workers to 12.5 Reichsmarks per day."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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